Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-08
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
The plans below show a college cafe before it was redesigned and how it looks now.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The given plans illustrate the layout of a college cafe before and after it redesigned. Overall, several changes have been made in the structure of cafe which give it anmore attractive and fascinating outlook.
The layout of cafe before redesigning was quite simple, with two staff dining rooms quite in front of entrance facing towards north and tables and chairs in the middle of the shop. In addition to, there was a serving area at the north-west corner where all foods and drinks were served and a kitchen behind that. However there were toilets in the west-east corner with a bin in front of that. In contrast, there has been made several attractive transformations in the current structure of cafe. The staff dinings rooms have replaced with coffee bar and take away food points. Moreover, serving area is transformed into hot meals area with kitchen at the same place. However, a salad bar is introduced at the west side and an entrance to the outdoor serving area. There is a barbecue at the outside on west side with different outdoor seatings which make the design of the cafe more fascinating and attractive.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the cafe redesign, identifying key changes such as the addition of the outdoor area and the reconfiguration of the interior. However, the description is somewhat hindered by inaccuracies in spatial orientation, such as describing the toilets as being in the 'west-east corner' and the staff rooms as being 'in front of entrance'. While the overview is present, it could be more analytical by focusing on the functional shift of the space rather than just listing changes. The response addresses the requirements of the task, but the lack of precision in describing the layout prevents it from reaching a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into two main paragraphs, which is appropriate for a report of this nature. There is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'In addition to', 'However', and 'In contrast' to link ideas. However, some of these transitions are used incorrectly or awkwardly, such as 'In addition to, there was...' and 'The staff dinings rooms have replaced with...'. The progression of information is generally logical, moving from the original layout to the current one, but the mechanical nature of the linking words occasionally disrupts the flow of the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to describe the changes in the cafe. There are some attempts at more sophisticated language, such as 'transformations' and 'fascinating', though 'fascinating' is not the most appropriate collocation for a cafe layout. Some word choice errors occur, such as 'staff dining rooms have replaced with' (should be 'have been replaced by') and 'outlook' (instead of 'layout' or 'appearance'). While the range is sufficient to convey the main points, the lack of precision and occasional awkward phrasing limit the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'before it redesigned' (should be 'before it was redesigned'), 'anmore' (spelling error), and 'staff dinings rooms' (incorrect pluralization). Additionally, there are issues with passive voice construction, such as 'there has been made several attractive transformations'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable and suggest a lack of control over more complex grammatical forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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